About the Migration Agency

In Sweden, the Migration Agency is the authority that considers applications from people who want to take up permanent residence in Sweden, come for a visit, seek protection from persecution or become Swedish citizens.

Work permits for au pairs

If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU and want to work as an au pair, you need to have a work permit. For work that lasts less than three months, citizens of certain countries also need to have a visa.

Requirements for work permits

have a valid passport (if your passport will expire soon, you should renew it since you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport)

be between 18 and 30 years old

show that you have an explicit interest for and use of Swedish language studies

have a certificate of a place for studies in Swedish

have a written offer of work from a family in Sweden where it states that you will work with light household work for a maximum of 25 hours per week (the time for household work and studies may not together exceed 40 hours per week)

Requirements to use the e-service

In order to use the e-service, you need

to get an e-mail from your host family with a link that leads you to the e-service

copies of the pages in your passport that show personal data, photo, signature, passport number, issuing country, period of validity and if you have permission to live in countries other than your home country

a written offer from the host family which presents the terms of your employment as an au pair

a certificate of a place for studies which states how many hours per week you will study.

E-service for au pairs

After you have sent your application

Check your application status

You can check that your application has been registered with the Swedish Migration Agency or if you have received a decision on the page Check your application.

Get photographed and provide your fingerprints

If you are granted a permit for more than three months, you will receive a residence permit card. The card is a certification that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains your fingerprints and a photo of you, among other information.

If you are granted a permit for less than three months, you do not receive a residence permit card, but may need a visa.

If you need a visa to travel to Sweden, you must visit a Swedish embassy or general consulate as soon as possible to be photographed and provide your fingerprints. You need to be photographed and submit your fingerprints even if you previously had a residence permit card because your photo and your fingerprints cannot be saved. Contact the embassy or the general consulate before your visit.

Have you had a permit as an au pair in a different country?

If you have had a permit as an au pair in a different country immediately before your planned stay in Sweden, it may affect your possibilities of getting a permit in Sweden. The reason is that it may indicate that it is a matter of regular work as a child minder or the like and not a job as an au pair.

After the decision

The Swedish Migration Agency sends the decision to the embassy or general consulate where you turned in your application or that you wrote in your online application. When you go to collect your decision, you must bring your passport with you.

Residence permit card

After a positive decision, we manufacture a residence permit card. When it is ready, the embassy or general consulate will hand out or send the finished card to you. Keep in mind that it can take up to four weeks to manufacture and deliver the card to the embassy or general consulate after you have received your decision. When you travel into Sweden, you must present the residence permit card together with a valid passport.

If you can travel to Sweden without a visa, you should be able to present a copy of the decision when you travel in. As soon as you have arrived in Sweden, you must book an appointment to submit fingerprints and be photographed. After that, we make your residence permit card. When the residence permit card is ready, we send it to your address in Sweden.

If you are granted a permit for less than three months, you do not receive a residence permit card and must therefore present the decision together with your passport when you travel to Sweden.

Important information about insurance

If you need to seek care in Sweden, you may need to pay for the care yourself if you are not nationally registered in Sweden and do not have a Swedish personal ID number. If you are nationally registered, you may also be registered with the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan) and be covered by Swedish social insurance.

To be nationally registered and get a Swedish personal ID number, you must generally have been granted a residence permit for at least one year in Sweden and that you plan to live here for one year or more. You should therefore get nationally registered as soon as possible after you have moved to Sweden.

If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application

If the Swedish Migration Agency rejects your application, it means you are not entitled to a residence permit for Sweden. You may lodge an appeal against the decision within three weeks of the date when you received notification of the decision. Information on how to lodge an appeal can be found in your decision. If you have given someone a power of attorney document that authorises him/her to represent you, this person is able to lodge an appeal on your behalf.

Switching host families

Your permit only gives you the right to work as an au pair, but you can switch host families without submitting a new application as long as your permit is valid.

Permit extension

You can get a work permit for work as an au pair for a maximum of one year. You can apply to extend your work permit if you had a permit less than one year and have received an offer to continue working with the same host family or with a new family. It is important that you submit your application before your current permit expires. If you have had a work permit for at least six months and if you applied before the current permit expires, you are entitled to continue working while you wait on a decision. Keep in mind that you cannot get a permit for longer than the validity of your passport.

How to apply to extend your permit

You apply to extend your permit online. Apply no earlier than 30 days before your current permit expires.

To apply for an extension, you must also send in

copies of the pages in your passport that show personal data, photo, signature, passport number, issuing country, period of validity and if you have permission to live in countries other than your home country

a written offer from the host family which presents the terms of your employment as an au pair

a certificate that shows that you have participated in your studies

a certificate of a place for studies which states how many hours per week you will study.

When we have received your application

If you submitted an extension application before your previous permit expired, you have the right to stay in Sweden until the Swedish Migration Agency has made its decision.

If you travel abroad in connection with your permit expiring, it may be difficult for you to come back into Sweden before you have had your new permit granted. You may then need to way for your new decision outside Sweden.

If you are granted a residence permit, you get a residence permit card. The card is a certification that you have permission to be in Sweden and contains your fingerprints and a photo of you, among other information. You must therefore book an appointment to submit fingerprints and be photographed at the Swedish Migration Agency as soon as possible. You also need to do so if you previously had a residence permit card because your photo and your fingerprints cannot be saved.

After the decision

The decision is sent to your home address in Sweden. When the residence permit card is ready, it is sent home to you within around a week.

If you cannot apply online

If you apply online, you are given clear instructions on how to complete your application and what you have to send in with it. It is easy to do it right from the beginning, which increases your chances of getting a decision faster.

If you cannot apply online, you complete the form Application for au pairs, number 131011, and turn it in at a Swedish embassy or general consulate in the country in which you live. The application form indicates what documents you must attach to it. Contact the embassy or general consulate before you turn in the application.

If it is not possible to apply in your country, you must apply at the embassy or general consulate that is closest to the country in which you live. Contact the embassy or general consulate before you turn in your application for more information.

If you apply at an embassy or a general consulate, you pay the fee when you submit your application. For information on fees, contact the embassy or consulate in question since they do not have the same fee regulations as the Swedish Migration Agency.

If you are to apply to extend your permit, you complete the form Application for au pairs, number 131011. The application form indicates what documents you must attach to it.